This season’s fifth-leading scorer in Division I basketball makes his debut in the NCAA Tournament on Friday night. Unless you follow the Western Athletic Conference or happen to be a California hoops groupie, he will take the floor as a virtual unknown.
Meet Dominique Daniels Jr., a 5-foot-10 senior guard at California Baptist who is averaging 23.2 points per game. That’s better than Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. (22.9) or Duke’s Cameron Boozer (22.5), freshmen who achieved All-America status this season. The only participant in March Madness with better scoring credentials is BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa, the possible first pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Dybantsa ranks first in scoring at 25.3 points per game.
Daniels announced his arrival on the national scene Saturday by hitting a pull-up 3-pointer with the shot clock running down to give Cal Baptist a two-point lead with 14.6 seconds left on the way to a 63-61 win over Utah Valley in the WAC Tournament championship game. That shot lifted the Lancers (25-8), who began their transition from Division II in 2018, to the first NCAA appearance in program history. As the No. 13 seed in the East Region, they will play blue-blood Kansas, the No. 4 seed, after a short bus ride from Riverside for a virtual home game in San Diego.
That’s exactly the type of NCAA situation that earns “sleeper” status when the field of 68 teams is announced. It’s a monumental task against a Kansas program built on elite history. But with Daniels, a point guard built on speed and determination, there is plenty of intrigue.
“Anything can happen in March; that’s what I kept telling myself those last three possessions,” said Daniels, who saved his best for last to finish a 7-of-25 shooting night with back-to-back 3’s to tie the WAC title game with 1:16 left. He led the Lancers with 23 points against Utah Valley after scoring 41 in a semifinal win over Utah Tech.
“He plays with an unwavering confidence, and that was on full display against Utah Valley,” Cal Baptist coach Rick Croy told HoopsHQ. “He started the game 4-for-22 and then makes the three 3’s in a row to give us the advantage. I think he’s seen just about everything this year in terms of ball-screen coverage and people loading up on him. Ultimately, the most important thing for him is just to play his game and not overthink it. He runs our team.”
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Croy arrived at Cal Baptist for the 2013-14 season after three years as the lead assistant under Randy Bennett at Saint Mary’s. The Gaels were 80-22 in that run, winning two West Coast Conference championships and making two NCAA appearances. While directing CBU’s transition to Division I, Croy has compiled a 275-158 record; the Lancers were the WAC preseason favorite this season.
“We won our first seven games, then we went on a gauntlet,” Croy said. “We played six games in a row away from home. We really tested ourselves and I think that was another key chapter in our journey. We played at Oregon State, at Colorado, at BYU and then at Utah (a win followed by three losses). But I think that made us better. It prepared us well.”
Nothing has been more vital than recruiting and keeping Daniels in the fold. Raised in Compton, he prepped at Trinity International High in Las Vegas before averaging 23.8 points in two seasons at San Bernardino Valley College. Despite college basketball’s chaotic portal era, Daniels stayed put for three seasons at Cal Baptist and continued to improve. The NBA has noticed and scouts will be watching him in the tournament.
Daniels offers a simple explanation for staying at CBU.
“Just the love they’ve shown me over the past three years,” Daniels told Andy Katz on “WAC Chat” earlier this season. “Like I always say, they gave me an opportunity coming out of junior college. I didn’t have any offers coming out of high school, so I had to go to junior college. And then they’re right down the freeway not too far from here, San Bernardino Valley College. They came down and watched me play, and it was a wrap from there. They gave me an opportunity. They showed me love from the start. So, I feel like it’s just the loyalty piece for me. Why not stick with you guys?”
Against Kansas, Daniels will be matched against Melvin Council Jr. They are two of the fastest and most dynamic guards in the nation and play with the same passion. They also offer a contrast, given that Council played at Wagner and St. Bonaventure before entering the portal to play his final season with the Jayhawks.
Croy says there never was a serious discussion about Daniels exploring the transfer portal. Whether the Lancers are eliminated after one game or stick around as a sleeper, there will be a sense of great accomplishment at CBU.
“I think it’s about this moment right now,” Croy said, “He always kind of felt like he came to CBU to do something that hasn’t been done before and he wanted to be a legend. And he is that. There are so many kids that have enlarged their belief because of Dominique Daniels Jr. He’s not a 6-8 power forward, right? He inspires everybody.
“We did not have a great taste in our mouth when the season ended (last year in a WAC semifinal). We felt like we left something on the table. I think he was like, ‘I’m gonna come back to CBU and I’m going to help this program achieve the mission.’ And that’s what he’s done.”
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